With the advent of cheaper and more portable computers, the demand for wireless devices and networks is growing rapidly. The increasing popularity of wireless networks has led to the development of new methods and techniques to improve connectivity between portable/wireless devices and networks.
Wireless networks can generally be classified as two types. In the first type, called an infrastructure network, devices, such as computers or mobile phones, are connected to the network through access points, which are in turn connected together through the network. For two devices to communicate over an infrastructure network, both must be connected to an access point. The second type, called an ad-hoc network, is de-centralized. In an ad-hoc network, a set of wireless devices, herein referred to as nodes, interact directly and do not need to be connected directly to the access point. Instead, one node can connect to the network through another node that is already connected to the wireless network.
Mesh networks are a subcategory of ad-hoc networks. In mesh networks, nodes may receive and forward messages, allowing messages to be passed from node to node. As a result, mesh networks can be established over a relatively wide area. Additionally, because connections between nodes can be defined or adapted ad hoc, communication over the mesh network can continue despite communication failures between one or more of the nodes.